Renton Community Update

Yes, this is Randy Corman’s blog.  Please pardon the unusual temporary format.  The content is still all here.  We’re making security and software updates to it, to keep up with the times.  It should look more familiar, with all the normal menus, very soon.  Thank you!

  I was recently invited to a meeting of Renton airport users who have lost confidence in Renton’s airport management.  They are considering forming an airport tenants union, to organize and push back on breath-taking rent increases.  One airport business owner reports that the city has asked him to sign onto a 120 percent rent increase, 12 times bigger than what our state legislature said was the maximum a residential landlord could ever increase rent in a single year.  Some tenants have said they have been given surprise retroactive rent increases, in which management said they forgot to raise the rent months earlier, and now demand tens of thousands in back rent– similarly to the billing failure that triggered the Landing Gear Works to ultimately move out.

Two years ago many small plane owners in Renton were issued surprise rent increases of 42 – 74%, making their tie-downs and hangars more costly than those at Boeing Field (which has much more infrastructure including two runways).

It appears that many of the increases and tenant disputes have been exacerbated by Renton Public Works Director Martin Pastucha, who’s previous airport leadership experience left the Santa Monica airport in turmoil and on a controversial path toward closure.  (Per the deed below, closure would not be an option for Renton; if attempted, the airport property would revert to federal ownership and control, and the federal government could keep the airport open with a new airport commission and management team to oversee it.)

When Renton purchased the airport from the federal government in 1947, the city promised that the rental terms for airport tenants would be “reasonable.”  The Quit Claim Deed for the airport requires this.  I asked the King County Archivist to get me a copy of the quit claim deed, and I have linked it here.

As shown below, the deed says the property “shall be used for public airport purposes, and only for such purposes, on reasonable terms and without unjust discrimination”

 

This same language requiring reasonable rental terms appears in the grant assurances Renton signs when we accept FAA money, and in federal laws that apply to public airports.

While the airport manager can suggest what he thinks is reasonable, the ultimate decision is up to the Renton City Council.

Obviously what is “reasonable” can be a matter of opinion, and usually requires a discussion.  The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) recommends that airport users get organized to be sure their interests are given proper consideration by airport management. Many airports have seen the formation of tenants unions or other advocacy organizations for airport users. The Renton Airport Advisory Committee (comprised of neighborhood and airport representatives) used to do a good job of this, building consensus on rent rates as part of their process.  But airport administration and Mayor Pavone have diminished RAAC participation in this and many other airport decisions in recent years.

Renton’s Airport Management insists they are just trying to get tenants to pay “fair market value,” per the airport leasing policy.  But this is an oversimplification of a complex disagreement, that fails for at least five reasons.

(1) Airport management hired an appraiseal firm to determine fair market value, and appraisals are rarely perfect– the appraisers might have over-estimated fair market value.  Fair market value is defined as what a willing renter would pay a willing landlord.  But in the recent cases of Aerodyne, Rainier Flight Services and the Landing Gear Works , all the “willing renters” turned down the rent hikes that the appraisers recommended, choosing to move their businesses instead.  This suggests these rents are not fair market value.  Some airport tenants suggest the appraisal could be high because it was completed before two recent events:  the legislature recently implemented a 10% tax on aircraft and only repealed it at the last minute when too many airplanes were being reregistered out-of-state; and now the millionaire income tax is causing airplanes to be relocated to Idaho and elsewhere,  Both these legislative actions could have abruptly lowered hangar fair market values in our area.

(2) When rents must rise, airport management should be aiming for negotiated solutions which gently step-up rents over time, to allow businesses to sustainably transition to higher rates over longer periods.  This would allow airport businesses to reasonably adjust their customers prices and the rents they charge their subtenants, to eliminate complaints about outrageous 120% jumps

(3) Airport management appears to be negotiating with some airport tenants while drawing a hard line with others, appearing to make decisions based on how much they personally like various tenants and/or potentially punishing tenants who have asserted their rights on previous issues (by speaking to City Council, for instance). Discriminating like this could violate the 1947 agreement.

(4) Proposed rent increases for specific tenants are usually kept private, even though the approved leases are public documents.  Airport management should be publicly sharing their reasoning and approach, and receiving broad input on rent rates.  If more money is needed for widely desired maintenance or improvements, Airport Management should make the case to all the tenants, and build a consensus for the rent rates.  It takes effort, but it’s worked in the past, and that is how the Airport Director and his staff earn their salaries.

(5) Airport management has become stuck on the concept of “fair market value.” They have never asked the Council to review this policy or clarify it.  I was on Renton Council when we wrote the first airport leasing policy, and we put “fair market value” into our first draft– but that was not the only acceptable measure we could have used.  If it’s not working, the Council should consider something else. If I were on Council today, I would be looking to change this language.  The FAA allows other methods for establishing “reasonable terms”.  Fair market value is one way the FAA allows, and not necessarily the FAA-preferred way.  In general, FAA prefers lower fees, not higher fees, for aeronautical uses, as long as the airport can remain financially successful.  If lower rents could result in fewer vacant buildings, and still sustain airport operations, this would be acceptable– possibly preferable– to FAA.  (Aerodyne, Rainier Flight Services, and the Landing Gear Works buildings are all vacant now, reducing aviation activity and contributing nothing toward paying for airport upkeep).

 

If Airport Management and Renton City Council studied these five points, took took them to heart, and implemented them, then the Airport tenants would not feel like they needed to form a union to get fair treatment.

 

 

 

 

Renton’s 300-seat Carco Theatre was flooded in December, after Renton leaders initially downplayed the NOAA forecast that predicted we could see the worst flooding ever (see screenshots below).  Nearly a year after the flooding of Carco, nothing has been done to reopen the theater.  A local non-profit that leased space from Renton and helped community groups prepare programs for public access TV, Puget Sound Access Television, has also been displaced by the flooding.

Last December 9th, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was forecasting that the Cedar River could experience major flooding, and could crest above 17 feet, potentially higher levels than ever before.  I urgently shared the worrisome prediction in my blog, and on social media community pages that have thousands of readers.  My wife Cathy wanted to know whether any city event schedules might be impacted, and she was surprised that there was no mention of potential flooding anywhere on the City’s website or social media pages. The Mayor’s press release from a few days earlier was featured prominently on the website, and it was titled “Renton, Ready to Play,” about the World Cup coming to Seattle and progress on Legacy Square.  There was nothing about potential flooding. This was followed by a social media blitz about legacy square on December 10.

So Cathy sent an email to Mayor Pavone asking that the city webpages be updated with flood information, including news about potential cancellations that might occur.  During the next 24 hours the city began using social media channels to discuss the river rise, but to my surprise they downplayed the risk of flooding.

The City’s first post on the topic finally occurred after Cathy’s email to the Mayor, but it downplayed the flood risk by citing an ensemble forecast (a group of possibilities) that showed a range of possible flood levels, some of which were less severe. The city’s Facebook post said “The most likely peak range (15 to 15.75 feet) will not reach major flood levels,” downplaying the risk.  Some residents questioned the post, wondering why it differed from the official and more-severe  NOAA forecast, and the city defended their overly-optimistic prediction as shown in the screenshots below.

A few days later the river crested higher than ever before, over 18 feet.

A core principle of emergency management and engineering is that you “prepare for the worst (and hope for the best).” You don’t prepare for the “most likely” scenario.  On any given day most buildings won’t catch fire, but we still make sure everyone knows there is a fire risk, and we still ensure fire protection systems are active.  When a forecast identifies a significant possibility of record flooding, the message should not be “but that is not the most likely.”

Unfortunately, Renton’s beautiful 300-seat Carco Theatre and Event Center was a victim of this wishful thinking.  When the river crested at peak levels, it only met with minimal sandbags placed unfortunately in the wrong places.  Instead of asking volunteers to come and sandbag to help protect this critical venue, Public Works leadership and the Mayor’s office dismissed the risk and never even informed the public that Carco was flooding.  With the unduly-optimistic executive planning, exhausted City workers were left scrambling and improvising when the theater began to flood.

Carco Theater had incurred minor flooding in previous flood events, but pumps and well-placed sandbags had always been deployed to minimize impacts, and any damage was quickly repaired.  The theater has weathered its scenic location near the Cedar River for fifty-five years, and should have been able to continue uninterrupted operation for decades more.  Now, it’s been closed for nearly a year, and shows no signs of reopening any time soon.

 

And there has been no meaningful action taken by the Mayor, Council, or Public Works leadership to prioritize getting the important venue back into operation.  Millions of dollars have been spent building an outdoor stage and television at Legacy Square, and hundreds of thousands of dollars more were spent arranging watch-parties for televised sporting events on the new television.  But Carco Theater, which has hosted live dances, plays, and other performances by our own residents for decades, has been left abandoned and unfunded.  Did Council decide that watching TV sporting events  is more important than watching our children dance?

In the last year my family has had to go as far away as Seattle and Maple Valley to see family members perform in shows that normally would have taken place in Carco Theater.  Some of these shows were dance classes offered by Renton Parks and Recreation– using venues in other cities because ours is ruined and not being repaired.

This past summer, families with children in Renton Parks classes sat in folding chairs or stood in crowds in the back of a room at the community center.  The performing children compressed their dance numbers onto a too-small, foot-high portable stage to perform dances that in prior years would have been performed on the big stage under the spotlights at Carco Theater.

Distressingly, virtually nothing has been done to remediate the flood damage.

 

For reference, back in December I wrote more about Renton flooding in this follow-up blog post, including photos of high water in downtown Renton.  (I did not get photos of the flooding at Carco Theatre.)

In July 2025, four months before the flood, the City of Renton shared a Parks Plan that included a map seemed to eliminate Carco Theatre, and replace it with an outdoor amphitheater.  Such a change would absolutely be a mistake, costing millions of dollars and taking away an extremely valuable all-weather venue.  While the city later implied that was a mapping error, the total abandonment of Carco Theatre this year raises doubt regarding their motives and transparency.

This summer I showed that the city had put nine city buildings simultaneously out of commission, including Carco Theatre, in the five years since I retired from City Council. Then the city made it ten by kicking Aerodyne out of their hanger at Renton Airport, with no plan for a new tenant.  Renton has never had a Public Works department so determined to empty and/or abandon so much valuable Renton property. The result is crowded facilities, less amenities and service for our residents, and higher taxes as we ultimately pay to replace essential facilities that our Public Works leadership neglected.

If you want to help, email the City Council (council@rentonwa.gov) and Mayor (mayor@rentonwa.gov), and insist that Carco Theatre be promptly repaired, and that elected leaders hold Public Works Director Martin Pastucha accountable to repair and/or expediently complete appropriate work on all the other buildings he has closed.  We should  simply no longer tolerate the city closing and ignoring valuable buildings. No more excuses should be accepted.

 

 

 

 

 

Renton residents that would like to try Tai Chi walking can enjoy doing so for free in the heart of downtown Renton.  Art Commissioner and Tai Chi instructor Scott Douwes has been leading some fun and well-attended sessions every Sunday morning at 9:00.  Everyone is welcome to join in, and no experience is necessary.

You can find more information and sign-in in advance at Scott’s website, thesanctuarycommons.org.

You are sure to enjoy Scott’s informative and entertaining teaching style.  He brings impressive experience with Tai Chi and physical fitness to these exercises, complimented by his mastery of art, affection for teaching others, and outstanding sense of humor.

Scott’s been a very active member of our Renton community for many years, and has designed beautiful murals and other media for our city in the past. His wife Jennifer is a  writer who also manages the office of Renton Historical Society.

In a recent blog post I described Renton Airport Management’s  false “runway safety” explanation for pushing out Aerodyne Aviation, one of Renton’s oldest aviation research, design and maintenance centers.  Today I’m describing Airport leadership’s similarly misleading messaging about the future of the Aerodyne Hangar.  Airport property belongs to Renton taxpayers, and the public deserves an honest accounting of how it is being used to benefit our city.

Renton’s Airport management has declared Aerodyne’s Hangar so valuable that they want  Aerodyne to pay more than three times the rent that Aerodyne paid for just their land lease last year.  They say the Hangar and office complex, built by Aerodyne under their previous lease, has more than tripled the value of the property.  But at the same time, paradoxically, the same Airport Management says it wants to tear down the hangar, suggesting it has no value.

These airport leaders also deliver conflicting timelines about their plans for this important publically-owned property.  Renton’s Public Works Director Martin Pastucha and Airport Manager Manny Cruz wrote in their lease termination to Aerodyne that the hangar will be demolished  “within the next few years.” Less than two months later, Renton’s Public Works Director Martin Pastucha emailed one of Aerodyne’s sub-tenants stating that the hangar will be demolished in 2036. (Does Renton’s Public Works Director really consider a whole decade just “a few years”?)

As Renton Airport leaders give false reasons for wanting to demolish a valuable hangar and dramatically conflicting timelines for it’s demolition, Aerodyne’s storied 61-year-old aerospace business is in the process of leaving Renton.  Their hangar and office facility will soon become the latest abandoned building at Renton Airport, underutilized for the next ten years, as Renton airport leaders continue to intentionally eject aerospace experience, jobs and tax money.

Aerodyne partners and sub-tenants are asking for alternative tie-down and office space but are being told there is no space. They’ve been told by airport management that it’s easier to leave the Aerodyne building empty rather than rent it to several sub tenants, even though the number of airport management staff has nearly doubled in the last ten years.  This has fueled speculation that Airport leaders might be covertly planning to replace Aerodyne’s think-tank of pilots, engineers, scientists, airplane-builders, and start-up investors with more business jet parking.  Such a dramatic and arbitrary change in use is contrary to the Renton Airport Sustainability Plan that was meticulously developed by the Renton Airport Advisory Committee and the City Council in 2012. More business jet parking in Renton would also bring more night-time sleep disturbances.

As the world-wide birthplace of commercial jet aviation, Renton should be striving to keep our talent and reputation for aerospace leadership.  We should not be sending aerospace excellence out the door, seemingly because our current Public Works Director (who has never lived in King County and spent most of his career in Southern California) seeks to simplify his job.

As longtime businesses  like Aerodyne, Rainier Flight Services and the Landing Gear Works get pushed off of Renton Airport, Airport Management shifts the cost burden of running the airport (and maintaining their growing staff) to the businesses that remain.  At least one of these businesses has said they’re being asked to sign on to a 120 percent increase in their rent as the Airport tries to avoid running out of money with fewer businesses.  These hyper-increases in rent, combined with a dramatic increase in the Business and Occupations maximum tax cap, work against Renton’s interests in keeping the Boeing Company at our airport long-term.

Renton City Council should insist that Renton’s Airport leaders provide accurate reports on the current status of the Aerodyne hangar, details on their specific lease negotiations with Aerodyne, and their long-term plans and schedule for the property.  Renton Council members are ultimately responsible for this and other airport leases, and they need to work with hard facts– not double-talk, random schedules, and fake statements about runway safety.  And the Council should share these facts with the public.  Even if detailed lease discussions happen behind the scenes, the displacement of a long-time tenant over a rent increase deserves Council attention, and the Council is only allowed to take action in a public meeting.

Renton’s previous Public Works Director was a licensed professional engineer, who could be relied on to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth to Renton City Council, tenants, and the public.  Our current Public Works Director should try to emulate his predecessor instead of spinning the truth any way he likes.

 

 

 

 

Renton Highlands will be getting significantly improved bus connections to Link Light Rail at the end of this month.  This will be a very welcome improvement for Renton residents who live near this route.  The route has historically only provided commuter express service to Seattle for a few hours each weekday morning and evening, at times that don’t always align with individuals’ work schedules.

The new Metro Route 111 schedule will begin on August 29.  The new Route 111 will run 16 hours per day on weekdays, 13 hours per day on Saturday, and 11 hours on Sunday providing connections from Renton Highlands to the Link Light Rail station in South Bellevue.  Headways will be 15 minutes on peak weekday hours, and 30 minutes during other times.  From the Bellevue station riders can catch the #2 rail line to Seattle, Bellevue or Redmond.  They can also transfer to the #1 rail line in Seattle to go to the airport, Federal Way, or Lynnwood.

This change has been in planning for years (along with other Metro service changes), and was approved by the King County Council last year.  With the opening of the Link cross-lake connection,  this welcome change will finally be implemented.  Renton Highlands residents will at last have a feasible way to utilize Sound Transit Service.  Thank you Metro for providing this important link.

I’ve previously posted about this change in this blog entry here.

Below is the King County Announcement about this change in service.

King County Metro announces major service expansion across King County

Renton School District maintenance specialists were at Kennydale Elementary School this morning working to reopen the street and sidewalk after a landmark tree split and lost a large limb. There was no obvious precipitating cause reported for the tree failure (no extreme wind or impact); but the newly-exposed center of the tree appears rotted and hollow.

It was a sad sight, for the workers as well as the onlookers, since this tree has been part of Kennydale Elementary since the beginning of the school.  One of the members of the school district staff said that the tree appears in aerial photos dating back to 1930.  Kennydale School was first opened near the tree in 1970.  As of this writing I’m not sure of the species of this tree.  A friend of mine told me he thinks its a Northern Catalpa tree, and that seems likely to me.

Unfortunately, the open wound of the tree revealed a hollow core and significant rot.  The tree is now unbalanced, and with the rotten center it is likely that it will have to come out entirely.

Here are some photos from this morning.

 

Since it’s completion in 1971, I-405 has always had at least two “through” lanes in Renton: the “right lane” or “slow lane” on the right, and the “passing lane” on the left.  Safety shoulders and an HOV lane were added later, but motorists have always had at least two through lanes.

Until this month, when a new sign appeared that sends all through traffic into the passing lane on I-405 South through Renton.  The right “through” lane is now clearly marked by Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) as an “Exit Only” lane, meaning drivers in this lane are required (by law) to take the exit.  But are they in this case?  Strangely, the roadbed remains unchanged, and the right lane continues on the freeway mainline as it always has.  So are drivers who are heading to I-5, southcenter and the airport really required to merge into the passing lane, or was this just a goof up by the DOT?  Unfortunately, the answer may not really matter as much as the fact that drivers are processing this question while they are supposed to be paying close attention to the cars around them, not trying to interpret a new sign that makes little sense.

When about half of the drivers decide they must move left while the other half see no reason to, we have a recipe for confusion, chaos, accidents and road rage.  The consensus in my household is that these two signs probably should have been stacked above the far right exit lane, or at least the “Exit Only” arrow should be pointed at the far right exit lane.

If WSDOT really wants for all through drivers on I-405 to move into the passing lane at this point, they should add a new reader sign explaining why such a change is required.  They should also launch a public information campaign.  Otherwise, they should fix the sign before it causes an accident.

Dozens of Renton pilots have abruptly learned they must delay their business activities and/or make new summer travel plans. Renton Airport Management just advised tenants in Cedar River Hangars and the Windsock Tie-down area that they won’t be able to access their airplanes for two of the most popular weeks of the summer flying season.  The airport has been working on replacing security gates; the work has experienced delays, and has been criticized previously for not being well coordinated with airport users.

This lack of access from July 15 to July 28 is extra-aggravating since the airport  is also closing the runway for 10 hours a day during three separate two-week periods this summer, and the airport sharply increased the monthly lease prices of hangar and tie-down facilities by 42-74% a year ago.

Given all the significant disruptions, it seems it would have been appropriate to hold off on the hefty price hikes, and to credit the tenants for the weeks they can’t use the airport.

And tenants deserved more advanced notice of the lack of access to their airplanes and rented property, and more notice of the runway closures.   The Airport Management should strive to do better in the future.

 

For the third time in two years, a thriving decade’s-old aviation business is being pushed out of Renton Airport unfairly, with Renton airport officials giving fake or grossly misleading rationalizations.  The latest falsehood is printed on a letter with the Mayor’s name in the letterhead. It appears to have been contrived by the Airport Manager and Public Works Director, and is easily disproved with a city document.  It’s past time for Renton Council to investigate and stop this pattern, and require these city employees to stick to the truth.  The continued dishonesty reflects negatively on city government, and leaves many residents wondering if there is a hidden agenda at the airport.  

Renton’s Aerodyne hangar and office complex has hosted many thriving aviation business ventures and significant aircraft for 42 years.  Clayton Scott, namesake for Renton’s airfield, had an office at Aerodyne. Aerodyne’s long success is linked to its many strong leaders and partners, including some powerhouses in aviation circles. The company and its leaders have promoted aviation in Renton, advanced aerospace research and design, supported aviation education, modeled high standards for aircraft service and maintenance, and demonstrated overall commitment to advancing safety and efficiency in air travel.

But Renton Airport Management now wants Aerodyne’s facilities vacated by next month, to then sit abandoned and producing no aviation activity and revenue, probably for years.  This is the path that the former Rainier Flight Services Headquarters, the Landing Gear Works Manufacturing Building, and the Landing Gear Works installation hangars have been on for up to two years and counting.

THE PHONEY REASON FOR ENDING AERODYNE’S 42-YEAR LEASE:

Renton Airport Management sent a letter to Aerodyne stating that Aerodyne must leave specifically “to meet runway safety area requirements as they relate to the goals of the Airport Layout Plan.”  But this is not true.

 

In stark contrast to the stated reason for sending Aerodyne packing, Renton’s FAA-approved Airport Layout Plan shows that the Runway meets safety clearance standards with Aerodyne exactly where it is.

 

 

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE  PLAN FOR THE AERODYNE BUILDING:

In 2019 we faced the possibility that Renton’s runway would be reclassified from “B’ to “D”, and would need to be 1000 feet longer; the runway would have eliminated Airport Way and potentially extended nearly to South Second Street.  The longer runway would also have needed wider “Runway Object Free Areas,” which would have necessitated removing about 15 feet of Aerodyne’s hangar.   But the threat of this reclassification went away as the annual number of jet operations declined at Renton Airport, primarily due to  Boeing’s reduced manufacturing rates.  If the airport gets classified as a “D” in the future it will directly conflict with the new $500,000,000 Renton High School.  Aerodyne’s hangar would be the least of our worries.

The Airport Layout Plan does show Aerodyne’s building potentially being torn down and presumably relocated to the perimeter of the airport when it reaches the end of its useful life.  This possibility is in the layout plan because the Aerodyne facility was built at a time when there was no perimeter fence around the airport, and visitors could freely drive up to the entrance of the building.  When the city installed the perimeter fences after the 9-11 attack, the fencing spanned between buildings on the perimeter of the airport, but there was no easy way to allow visitors to drive up to the the (interior) Aerodyne building anymore.  So Instead, visitors had to prearrange for an escort and/or visitor pass to get them through the perimeter gate.  This has worked fine for 25 years, but if the building is ever torn down from obsolescence it should be relocated to the perimeter of the airport.  That is why the Airport Layout Plan shows it being relocated.

A key assumption in the airport layout plan is that any building removed will be replaced one-for-one, to avoid displacing valuable long-term airport businesses while maintaining a diverse, thriving airport.  The actions by the Airport Management contradict this assumption.  Aerodyne should have been offered a new location, with a plan for a new building on the perimeter of the airport.

WHAT IS HAPPENING AT THE AIRPORT?

In recent years Renton’s Airport leadership has established a pattern of elbowing out small businesses for questionable or phoney reasons, including Rainier Flight Services, the Landing Gear Works, and now Aerodyne.  Rainier Flight Services, a flight school, was told they were required to build a new building that they could not afford; this was contrary to their lease which said it was the tenant’s option to build a new building.   The Landing Gear Works was misbilled by the City for a year, and then while making extra payments to reconcile the city’s error they were told they were also expected to pay for an expensive new roof on a building that the city would not give them a long-term lease on.   These followed a controversial eviction of the Ellison Hangars in 2019, a business that furnished popular T-Hangars to local pilots;  these hangars were demolished, and in seven years nothing has been rebuilt on the land.

All of these evicted tenants have requested alternative space on the airport, and none of them received it.  The airport management accumulates fallow land and abandoned buildings, while pilots and aircraft businesses wait on a seven-year list to try to get diminishing tie-down, hangar and office spots at Renton Airport.

And airport users that have not been evicted have seen their rent rates increase as much as 74% in one year as the airport loses revenue from once-thriving businesses that have been kicked out.

Renton Airport Management will say they plan to eventually rebuild, perhaps sometime in the next ten years. But this delayed planning is not acceptable.  It’s lazy and irresponsible management to neglect valuable city buildings, let them fall into abandonment, and then, years later, finally develop a plan to replace them.  Especially when they are fully serviceable right now, as is.  None of these buildings should have been emptied until there was a solid, executable plan to replace them.

When I was on Renton City Council we kept these airport buildings working for the community, and sought to maintain a thriving and diverse business base on the airport.  And we would never have given the Public Works Director a pass for publishing a fake reason for evicting a tenant.   The Renton Council is responsible for leasing city property.  Today’s Renton Council should delve into the details of airport leasing, and correct the current trend at the airport that is imperiling Renton’s aviation future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Sunday the City of Renton and Gravity Sports hosted a 25th birthday celebration for Renton Skate Park.  It was a great skate party with a band and perfect weather, and I caught up with some old friends.

I vividly remember the opening of the skate park in 2001.  We located it at the site of the former Henry Moses Pool after determining we would build the new Henry Moses Aquatic Center on the other side of the freeway.  Residents had petitioned the Council to build a skate park, and I thought is was a great idea.  In time, all of Renton’s officials were on board, and we created one of the best skate parks in the Northwest at that time.  In 2000, when I was Council President, we held workshops using clay modeling to enlist public involvement in the design (see the document at the end of the photos).  The Skate Park has received steady use ever since.

Residents are asking Council to consider expanding it and potentially building a second park in a covered area under the freeway, and I think these are great ideas.

I posted a few pictures from Sunday’s Skate Park birthday party, and some fun never-before-seen historic photos of the opening of the Skate Park

 

 

Pictures from opening day of Renton Skate Park, April 24, 2001:

Renton airport businesses and pilots had been making new plans after learning that the runway at Renton Airport would be closed for ten hours a day, every day from 2:00 PM until midnight.  A runway closure is a big deal, and requires rescheduling of everything from flight lessons, to flight-club use rosters, to weekend getaway schedules.

But in the final hours on Saturday, and then again on Sunday, the runway closures were cancelled.

While this could have been good news for anyone suddenly able to adjust their schedule, it’s bad news if they will now be asked to plan for replacement closure days in the future.

It raises doubts about how coordinated the runway closure planning is with the contractors doing the work at the airport.

An anonymous commenter on my blog brought this uncoordinated scheduling to my attention (Thank you Anonymous).  After pointing out the on-again off-again closure, the commenter added:

“Business owners are losing revenue at very tough time due to the mismanagement of the contract schedule and poor communication with the airport tenants. Renton Airport management is making it impossible for business owners to operate successfully at Renton Airport. The unreasonable lease terms and cost prohibitive rate increases coupled with mistaken and mismanaged closure schedules make it impossible for Renton Airport tenants including small flight training organizations preparing the next generation of commercial pilots to succeed in business at Renton Airport.”

Renton’s Maplewood Glen neighborhood brims with charming mid-century homes populated by many long-time Renton residents.  The well-loved and historic neighborhood is near the Cedar River, just off of Maple Valley Highway. Many of its residents are avid gardeners and nature lovers.  They were looking forward to getting new sidewalks, but some residents feel they got far too much concrete.

About twenty years ago the City of Renton determined the sidewalks were getting too old in this neighborhood.  The City began a multi-phase project to design and build all-new sidewalks.

In 2018 as some of the sidewalks were being updated on the east end of the project, the city received complaints about the unnecessarily wide curb cuts and driveway stubs that were being installed.  At least one resident felt the driveways were a mismatch for their homes and took out too much planting space.  This resident expressed dismay at the unnecessarily wide “wings” on the oversized driveways that consumed even more planting area.  She appealed to the city to make her driveway right-sized.  I was still on Renton Council at the time, and I encouraged our then Public Works director to take the resident’s concerns seriously.  He did, and the engineers downsized her driveway curb cut while still meeting all ADA sidewalk codes. They saved money on concrete as well.

In 2020, the pandemic put the project on a years-long hold.  The project has recently come back, and I and the former Public Works Director have both retired.  This time, when residents voiced concerns about unnecessarily oversized driveway cuts, they say the City has dismissed their concerns.

One of the residents, Nancy Quinn, filled me in on what she characterized as “very frustrating” exchanges with Renton’s current Public Works leadership, and she provided me with email records on the topic.  She’s disappointed with the unnecessarily wide curb cuts and driveway stubs, the oversized driveway wings that cut into the planting strips, and worrisome drainage issues raised by the new design.

 

 

 

Sidewalks are very desirable for safety but it’s not unusual for a sidewalk project to create concerns for impacted residents.  Sidewalk slopes and ramp widths must be carefully engineered to meet ADA accessibility requirements. Achieving these standards can require significant re-grading, particularly in hilly areas.  Past sidewalk projects in other parts of town have raised resident concerns about high-centered driveways, loss of auxiliary RV and trailer parking, destruction of prized landscapes, drainage concerns, and  other issues.  Public Works typically works collaboratively with residents to work through as many of these issues as possible, preferably during the design stage of the project. Lately, it seems that Public Works is not listening to residents.

About 20-30% of the extra concrete poured at Ms. Quinn’s home is due to an apparent change in standards regarding the driveway “wings” that provide turning radius into the driveway.  These wings were historically triangular, but the Renton standard appears to have changed in 2014 and the wings became square.  The square wings can significantly reduce the planting area on both sides of the driveway, especially if the planting strip is extra wide.  I don’t know of an engineering reason for the change,  and it seems to me it should be reviewed.  I don’t remember being asked to approve this change, and for all I know the change could have been a scrivener’s error in a diagram.

 

I like new sidewalks but this project could have been done with less concrete, better drainage, and more communication with the residents.

Renton Airport users have been making new plans this month as Renton’s only runway is shut down for ten hours every day.  Considering we’re at peak summer flying season, and World Cup travelers are already swarming nearby Boeing Field and Seatac Airport, this will undoubtedly be a disruptive closure for many pilots and airport businesses.  There will be similar closures August 3-16, and September 8-21.

The closures are scheduled to facilitate repavement of Taxiway Alpha.

I’ve heard that some airport users were not given advance notice about this closure.  Notably, it was NOT mentioned in the 38-page airport status presented to Renton City Council on March 9 even though it has a major impact on the 2026 operation of our airport.   Below is the notification on the City website.  Similar notifications can be found on the FAA website (which recieves inputs from airport managers).

 

Renton Historical Society and Genealogy Center has completed their move from Renton Technical College to the historic Snoqualmie Power building they purchased in downtown Renton, across the street from the Renton History Museum. I wrote about their new building purchase in this April blog entry here.  My wife and I dropped into their new office for a visit yesterday and were given an update by their friendly and informative Office Manager, Jennifer Douwes.

The Society’s artifacts, photographs and historical documents have been moved into their new location, and are being unpacked and organized.  In the near term these are available for research and study.  Longer term, the Historical Society will put many of these back on public display, either in the Renton History Museum, their own building, and/or other secure locations that will benefit Renton residents..

Anyone interested in learning more about Renton’s history can visit the Historical Society from 1:00-4:00 PM Tuesday-Friday, or by studying their growing online content and reaching out to them through the contact information on their website at RentonHistory.org.